


Reach for me

by Julia_Danse



Series: The Knight and the Paladin - A series of Oneshots [35]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Atom Bombs, F/M, Listening Post Bravo, Nightmare, Sentinel Site Prescott, blind betrayal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24553792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julia_Danse/pseuds/Julia_Danse
Summary: This story explains why Danse was standing outside his quarters when Arthur gave him the letter for Kathryn.
Relationships: Arthur Maxson/Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor
Series: The Knight and the Paladin - A series of Oneshots [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1381480
Comments: 14
Kudos: 2





	Reach for me

**Author's Note:**

> The last of those stories I started weeks ago.  
> The inspiration for this story was of course Blind Betrayal and the music video posted below.

He ran.  
Faster than he ever had to run in his life.  
He left the Glowing Sea behind.  
  
Haylen had warned him in time before the others heard about it.  
  
He left his power armor behind and ran. His only companions were the laser rifle in his hands and the fear for his own life.  
The sun was already setting, turning in for the night so the moon could reign over the night sky and the tiny shimmering stars. It would have been a beautiful night if it wasn’t for the fact that he was running. His target location soon came into view, the turrets on the bunker whirring to live as he skidded to a halt in front of the door. He was lucky enough when the turrets started to shoot, only a graze on his skin, nothing much to worry about.  
He was panting and sweating. The door to the bunker closed and he activated the protectrons and the elevator with which he rode down into the earth. His hands were shaking from the adrenaline, his heart racing so fast he thought it might burst out if his chest. _Was his heart even real? Made from flesh and blood?_  
  


A Yao Guai growled in the back of the room and he could hear the splashing of water. He trained his rifle into that direction, his heart only slowly stopping to beat too fast, his breath still erratic with every step he took. How long would it take before the irradiated skinless bear would attack him? Well, not. He shot it the moment its eyes found his and he allowed himself to sigh a small sigh.  
  
There was a hole in the wall and he found the source of the splashing. At least he had a water source. Come to think, his throat was dried out, making it hard for him to swallow. He shouldn’t have left his pack behind. If he was honest he didn’t think he would arrive here with his mind occupied. His senses only slowly calmed down, still with every rustle of dust his eyes darted into the direction of the sound until he closed them.  
  
Panic. He felt panicked, exhausted, tired. _What was real, what was not?_  
He didn’t know anymore. Just slowly... so so slowly he realized he was a living lie, everything he hated, which he so desperately tried to destroy, get rid of...  
Several emotions bubbled inside of him. He was afraid, angry, alone.  
  
 _Who would believe him when he said he didn’t know it either..?_  
  
Would his best friend even want him alive anymore? He knew about Arthur’s point of view against synths. They needed to be eradicated, swiftly, mercilessly.  
  
It frightened him. Every fiber in his body was on fire, he screamed. He tore off this damn hood and threw it across the room, he pulled his hair just as he fell down onto his knees. Angry tears left his eyes as he cried.  
  
Desperation.  
  
The hours ticked by and he sat in the darkness, staring at nothing. His mind raced.  
He wondered if he could remember when they changed him for the real Paladin.  
He thought back to what he had witnessed in his life. What he had done, what he had felt. He thought back to the people he met, his friends and brothers and sisters. They would never accept him, now that they knew what he was. At least he was sure Arthur told them already.  
  
Danse counted the time, waiting for the one to kill him.  
  
While he waited he thought of Kathryn.  
  
 _She was with him in the Glowing Sea, at Sentinel Site Prescott. The whole journey was cast with danger and radiation. He was glad that she wore her power armor this time. He insisted on it, no,_ demanded, ordered _her to wear it. It was too dangerous out there without it. The high levels of radiation made it almost impossible to see clearly, thick green fog clouded the air while yellow lightning cracked above their heads as acidic rain fell down, rusting the metal of their suits faster than they could find shelter. He was grumbling back then that it would take him for ever to get rid of the rust, to polish and repaint it..._ God, he was such a nuisance back then. _  
All he thought of was his damn power armor. Kathryn patted him on the back, her smile audible in the way she spoke.  
  
_ He missed her now.  
  
 _They fought against Deathclaws, Radscorpions, Ferals, and more. And then this Brother Henry... Kathryn took matters in her hands. It was hard for her to confess she was a Child of Atom_ _in front of Danse, but it helped them complete the mission. After they secured the nukes she got out of her power armor, where the rads weren’t too high; Danse did the same and she collapsed into his arms. He just held her, drawing soothing circles on her sweat covered back._ _The minutes passed before she felt good enough to let go of him. He smiled at her, telling her how proud he was of her._ _She smiled back,_ _stood up, and placed the distress pulser.  
  
“It’s time that you head back and tell Arthur about our success.”, he had said.  
“Aren’t you coming with me?”, she had asked. He shook his head.  
“I’m sorry, but Arthur’s order. I need to stay until every one of those nukes was tested, counted, and loaded.” He almost dismissed her. She wasn’t a knight anymore. She was his equal.  
Sadly she placed a kiss on his lips and said “I’ll see you later then...” before she got back into her power armor and left.  
  
It was maybe half an hour later when Haylen’s team showed up. The scribe’s face contorted in distress. She took Danse away from the others and told him the news. “Run.”, she had said. “Hide. I will find you at Bravo.” He knew where he had to go...  
  
_She _was_ his equal.  
  


But what was she now to him? He wasn’t so sure anymore. His lover, or just a failure in his programming? Wasn’t it real what he felt for her? A malfunction? Were Synth able to feel such emotions anyway? All those questions stirred awake another headache. He held his hands to his temples, pressing them against his skin to dull the pain. He still sat in the darkness and he saw weird forms in front of his eyes. _Damn headache!  
  
_ Suddenly he heard shots above ground. The rumbling from a fallen protectron shook the ceiling above him and made tiny bits of dust and stone rain down. A minute later the elevator dinged and someone walked out. An all-consuming sadness overcame him as he saw _who_ walked out of the elevator. He kept hiding, he didn’t want her to be here. _He wished Maxson had sent someone else..._  
“Danse?”, she asked with insecurity. “Are you here?”  
He heard her walking into the bigger room. Step by step he wished he was invisible, that she would just turn around and walk away again...  
  
Green light blinded him as she pointed the Pip Boy into his direction. She gasped in shock, feet hurrying over the concrete floor before she fell down to her knees in front of him. “Oh god...”, she had whispered. He looked up in her face. The lines around her eyes wear smeared with tears, her hair was a wild mess, and when he looked into her eyes... He looked away. “Are you okay?”, asked Kathryn. He swallowed down the dry lump in his throat, he shook his head and looked down.  
  
She tried to get him up and he obeyed with heavy limbs. _Damn that woman’s strong..._ he thought while she dragged him to the nearest chair and sat him down. The first thing she did was to put down the Pip Boy so it would illuminate more of the dark room. Then she rummaged through a bag and held out a can of water for him before she sat down in front of him with a frown.  
“God, Danse... I was so worried.” He silently drank the water, it’s coolness soothing down the burning in his throat. “Arthur is worried too. He wants you to come back.” He sputtered out some water. “What?”, he then said as he wiped his mouth. Kathryn had a puzzled look on her. “Didn’t Haylen tell you?” Again he shook his head. “She said ‘Run’ and where to. Guess she covered something then.” Kathryn considered this. “Yeah, I guess.”, she then said. “You should have seen her in Quinlan’s little office. I’ve never seen her act like this. When we were alone she dropped the act and told me. Only a small group of people knows. And they don’t care what you are. Please... come back with me.”  
  
He looked at her. He couldn’t digest what she was saying. He was running for his life just because Arthur needed to keep up an act? Guess he really needed to come back with her and punch his Elder in the gut... Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Alright.”  
  
A vertibird was already waiting when they emerged. Danse didn’t think it was a good idea to come out of hiding _or that this whole ordeal was a farce!_ He became angry and the grip around his laser rifle tightened.  
  
“Danse.”  
“Arthur?”  
  
 _Shit._ What did Kathryn say again? This definitely didn’t look like keeping a face anymore. A discussion broke out where to let Danse live or not. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  
  
 _His best friend and his lover wanted him dead?!_  
  
He breathed out, not knowing what do to anymore besides falling to his knees. Defeat settled in.  
  
 _So this will be my death. A synth struck down by his ‘best friend’ and his ‘lover’. Did they even care about me in the first place?_  
  
Tears of anger filled his eyes, he screamed “KILL ME ALREADY!” as his body was shaken with hard sobs. The duo in front of him only sniggered and they wore evil smiles on their faces.  
  
“Goodbye Danse. You were a good puppy.”, Arthur whispered into his ear.  
“And an even greater sex toy.”, said Kathryn on his other side.  
  
When he looked up the barrel of a gun greeted his face and Arthur and Kathryn kissed each other passionately before Arthur pulled the trigger.  
  
***  
  
The echo of the shot rang in his ears as he jolted awake. Cold sweat ran down his forehead and his whole body trembled from the shock of his dream. He looked to the side and saw Kathryn lying next to him smiling in her sleep. He needed some fresh air. He left his quarters and Arthur stood before him, a white envelope in his hands. He held it out for Danse to take, asking him to get this to Kathryn the next time he saw her. Danse nodded and went back into his quarters where Kathryn had woken up and asked him what he held in his hands.  
  
She opened it and read what stood in the letter, breathing out a _“Wow...”_ before she folded the letter and put it back. She smiled sadly before a tear escaped her eye. “I’m so sorry Arthur…”  
Danse sat back down next to her, a hand on her back and he asked her what stood in the letter. Kathryn explained it to him. His best friend was in love with his girlfriend?  
  
“Must’ve been the alcohol.”, Kathryn said while Danse looked at her with furrowed brows. “Don’t you worry Paladin. That wasn’t the first love letter I got. There’s a lot of people on the Prydwen having a crush on me. Just like they have on you.” Did she tease him again?  
  
“But honestly, why are you awake?”  
“Nightmare.”  
“Do you wanna talk about it?”  
  
He sighed but nodded. Kathryn looked shocked after what he had told her, a hand at her mouth and the other in her lap.

  
“It felt so real.”, said Danse, the shaking coming back, he was pale.  
“It’s okay Danse. I would never do that. I love you too much to let that ever happen.”  
“And I love you too.”  
  
 _They would die for each other._  
  
 _Semper fidelis. Always._

[Skillet - Reach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR3Q13kff9Q)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :-)


End file.
